Choosing the right Handle/Alias

Choosing the right Handle/Alias

If you haven't come up with a clever handle or "alias" to call yourself, this is something that you must read. A handle will help conceal your true identity (a hacker's top priority), which could come in handy if the feds happen to be tracking you down. Trust me, it's a lot harder to find someone by the name of dividesbyzer0 than it is "Jim Erickson." There is much more to choosing a nickname than which meets the average human mind. The following steps will help you create your true hacker identity.

Don't bother with the obvious

In order to come up with a name, you're going to have to be original. Going by the name that someone else has created is totally non-elite. Consider the list of handles below to be off limits, and use these as a guide of what not to call yourself:

• squagle
• m4g3
• Neo
• N30
• dividesbyzer0
• d1vid35byz3r0
• schiz0phrenic
• schiz0id
• schiz0richard
• c4n7g37141d
• 1337m4n
• The Mentor
• 31447 h4x0r
• The Mentor
• t3h h4ck3r
• h4x0r_666

It is obvious that these names are pretty elite, and even more obvious that someone has already occupied them. This has made creativity a real pain, but by knowing this guide, you'll be on your way to your own elite and unique alias in no time.

Define how you percieve yourself

This is a pretty easy rule to follow. A handle will help those identify how you want to be percieved. For example, if you want to come across to people that you can accomplish the impossible, dividesbyzer0 is an exceptional name to go by since the division of zero is impossible. Don't call yourself that though, I know dividesbyzer0, and if he catches you forging his name, he will hack you in like...5 seconds.

Another good example of this is someone who likes to think they're cool by considering themselves to be mentally disfunctional. There is nothing wrong with this, and a lot of people find it to be cool/interesting. A handle such as schiz0id or schiz0richard can easily achieve this. I think it's cool that people see me as being a schizophrenic, thus the reason why I am well-known as schiz0id.

As mentioned before, leet speak (or 1337 5p34k for those who can't read) is encouraged while choosing a handle, just be sure to make it friendly. A general rule of thumb is to limit yourself to one number to three letters. People need to not know who you are, but they must be able to identify you. Once you've chosen an appropriate name with a mix of elite characters, it's time to move onto choosing the right operating system.